Day ten - Haast to Queenstown

Thursday 14 Apr

The Weather God has decided to spoil us rotten. An absolutely perfect day. We left Haast at 8-00 (which is our usual starting time each day) to a dull morning, very low cloud and as we progressed the sun burnt the clouds away and here was perfection. Given that the weather pattern here on the Coast is rain two days out of three we are certainly on a trot.

Glorious scenery, lovely bush, some beautiful rivers. First stop was Thunder Creek Falls, we saw the top of them on the way, then walked in to admire the lower third. The middle will forever remain hidden from us. They are certainly glorious. Drove through Mt Aspiring National Park, and a long bridge over the Haast River. Haast Pass is the lowest of the four passes, it rises to ;only' 565m above sea level. Arthur's Pass is 920m above, for comparison. A small shed we passed was for storage of the explosives used to make the road. We loved driving through the native bush, and watching out for innumerable waterfalls. At the top of the pass we crossed from Westland into Otago just after 9.30. The bush disappeared almost immediately and was replaced by trees, just beginning to turn gold. 

It is a great opportunity to appreciate the immense endurance shown by the early explorers and pioneers who first entered this vast trackless territory, made tracks and eventually roads.

The bush seems so impenetrable yet onwards they came and then came the early settlers who cleared bush for farms brought in their horses and cattle and sheep and gradually settled the land. Constant rain, very cold and yet they persevered.

By 10 am we were having morning tea at Makaroa, (weather has already cleared), then driving alongside Lake Wanaka, another kettle lake, and over 320m deep. A stop at Lake Hawea for photos, then past the dam which releases water into the Hawea River. This is the second-shortest river in NZ, only about 8km long.

We stop frequently for “comfort” stops. Given the average age of the party, that is an essential. Problem is that it takes sooooo long for everyone to alight and board. There is a second exit towards the rear of the bus but they do not open this as the bus is often on uneven ground they think it may be unsafe for some of us oldies to alight without assistance. Usually Ellen stands at the bottom by the extra step they put out at each stop and is there to assist anyone who may need help. Given the height of the bus, that is actually reassuring at times.

Another comfort and stretch stop at Lake Wanaka, before driving into Cromwell for lunch. Cromwell appears to be largely wineries and orchards. Lake Dunstan was a man-made lake, formed when the Clutha was dammed to create water for the fruit and vines, and for recreation.

Lunch was quite late (1-45) We thought of our dear friend Marilyn in Palmerston North who has a daughter and family living here. Cromwell is all “brand” new having been relocated when the Cromwell Dam was built and the original township flooded.

After lunch and a wander we piled back on board for two minutes, and drove to see the historic precinct. This was much more my scene, and I had a quick walk down the length, then up a level to an old church - which is now a private home. 

Just out of Cromwell we stopped again at Mrs Jones' Orchard, full of fruit, nuts and all sorts of goodies. We settled for a real fruit ice-cream (three different fruit flavours, and four of ice-cream!) before heading on. 

I neglected to mention the Autumn colours. The only reason for taking this trip in April was to be in Central Otago for the Autumn colours. Well, we are probably a couple of weeks early but even so, there are enough glorious sights to make the trip worth the effort. We stopped for an hour at Wanaka and the Lake, surrounded by golden trees was everything you could hope to see.

Refreshed and all present – Ellen does a head count before leaving every stop - we were on the way again heading for Queenstown travelling through the rugged Kawarau Gorge.

A trip around the Queenstown village to give us an idea of the layout and then up to our Hotel. I was last in Queenstown 17 years ago. Ellen said, as we approached, that anyone who has not been here for a while will be astounded at the growth. Never a truer word was spoken. I do not have the vocabulary to adequately describe how much it has grown. The road in which was just rugged hills of farmland is wall to wall motel, cheek by jowl housing. Roundabouts space out the main road to provide access to the many subdivisions which have sprung up. The thing that completely threw me off gear was the sight of a couple of large yachts moored near the shore. I am talking ocean going size and these were moored down at the beginning of the lake near a subdivision of luxury homes but nowhere near the commercial area so I am imaging they were privately owned. I know it is a lovely lake but the cost of trucking in monsters like this to cruise up and down a Lake has me a tad bemused.

As I started to say, Wayne took the bus through the town. Wall to wall tourists and shops, cafes and adventure tour businesses everywhere you look. Our Hotel is three km out of the town but there is a 20 minute bus service quite handy to take us either to Frankton – which is where the residents do their shopping, or Queenstown. We decided after one look at Queenstown that we really did not want to make another trip back there. It was not our scene.

Our Hotel is sited on a very steep hill, wings above and below the reception area but they provide a shuttle bus for those who cannot manage the steps up or path down. We are on the lower level and did not require assistance.

A nice dinner in a very modern Hotel, followed by an early night. All this travelling is quite tiring.